Late last year, TSTC sent a letter to then Governor-elect Dannel Malloy outlining transportation priorities in Connecticut for 2011 and beyond.  Much of the letter reiterated the issues that he himself supported in our 2010 gubernatorial survey, namely an emphasis on ‘fix-it-first,’ cycling and walking investments, and support for smart growth and transit-oriented development.

Now that Gov. Malloy has taken office, we look forward to working with him to implement his vision.

Re: ConnDOT Vision and Priorities

Dear Governor-elect Malloy:

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign congratulates you on your recent electoral victory.  TSTC is a non-profit transportation policy watchdog dedicated to creating a more balanced, environmentally friendly and equitable transportation system in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

We appreciate your responses to our gubernatorial transportation survey and were particularly pleased to see that you support fix-it-first policy, additional smart growth investment and transit expansion, including the Hartford-New Britain Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the New Haven-Springfield commuter rail project.

As you begin the transition process, we urge you to consider several items that will ensure Connecticut builds upon the recent progress it has made towards a more sustainable transportation policy:

Appoint an innovative and progressive ConnDOT Commissioner: Your choice of Commissioner will directly influence whether your transportation vision that you laid out during the campaign will be implemented or if ConnDOT will revert back to policies that, for the past fifty years, have promoted suburban sprawl, made the State’s roads more dangerous for the State’s citizens and increased congestion.

Embrace fix-it-first policies by capping highway expansion: Highway and bridge expansion still makes up nearly 47% of ConnDOT’s road and bridge capital program, largely because of inherited projects like the Q and the Moses Wheeler Bridges.  These large and costly projects come at the expense of maintaining Connecticut’s existing road and bridge infrastructure, the quality of which compare poorly to road and bridges nationally.  To ensure that Connecticut’s road and bridge infrastructure is in a state of good repair, your administration should set a goal to cap spending on highway expansion projects at 5 percent of overall transportation capital spending and fully prioritize maintenance and repair of existing road and bridge infrastructure.

Develop more effective tools to mitigate congestion: Connecticut loses almost $700 million a year in economic development as a result of roadway congestion.  Your administration should pursue innovative congestion relief policies such as congestion pricing in the I-95 corridor and conversion of HOV lanes to High Occupancy Tolling lanes along I-91 and I-84.  To reduce future congestion, the establishment of a formal Transit Village program and tax credits to encourage business and residential development within a half-mile of transit stations in urban areas should also be pursued.

Expand efforts to create a robust bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure: The recent announcement of changes to ConnDOT’s bicycle and pedestrian policies notwithstanding, we urge you to continue to make Connecticut more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.  The establishment of a ‘bike-share’ program along the New Haven Line or in Connecticut’s major cities, as well as the creation of ‘Safe Routes to Transit’ and ‘Safe Routes for Seniors’ programs would cost very little but ensure that Connecticut is in compliance with its ‘Complete Streets’ Law.  Doing so would also foster safer environments for all users of Connecticut’s roadways.

Support transit throughout the state: In addition to the Hartford-New Britain BRT and New Haven-Springfield commuter rail projects, continuing support for transit operations throughout Connecticut is imperative.  In particular, Connecticut’s bus network, which carries half of Connecticut’s transit ridership, should be more supported.  To fill gaps in the current network would require $4.5 million in operating funding and $17 million in capital funds, a small amount that would do much good by replacing 64,000 car trips according to Regional Plan Association and Transit for Connecticut.

Connecticut’s transportation and land use challenges will be great in the coming years, and we look forward to working with your administration to address them.

We wish you luck as you begin your tenure as Connecticut’s 88th Governor.

Sincerely,

Kate Slevin                                                                  Ryan Lynch

Executive Director                                                         Connecticut Coordinator